Page 82 of Eryx
“Aye.”
In the field to the left, I saw Axios still occupied with drills. He and the men were practicing phalanx warfare. They each held a large bronze shield in one arm and a spear in the other. The sun reflected off their blades and sweat glistened on their backs.
Felix shouted an order, and the men put their shields forward and stepped back with their right legs. As one precise unit, they then moved their spears between the spaces created by their shields.
My body stirred watching Axios. He was remarkable.
“Your fondness for each other still lives?” Nikias asked. When I focused on him, he, too, was watching the men train. “I often wondered if it would last. This life takes much from us. Our individuality. Even our freedom. When I first met you and Axios, I sensed your intense connection. And then I saw it with my own eyes while witnessing your training. I wondered if it withstood the harshness of this life.”
I said nothing. I would not speak of my relationship with Axios to someone other than my brothers. Only they knew of my affection and devotion.
“Forgive me,” Nikias said, offering a tight smile. “I do not mean to pry.”
“Then I suggest you hold your tongue.” I continued down the path, caring not if he followed. I respected Nikias, but I would not confide in him with the very thing Sparta tried to beat out of us from the age of seven.
“Eryx,” he said, grabbing my arm to stop me.
I halted in place and tossed him a look over my shoulder.
“I meant no offense,” he said. “I only wished to say I was pleased to see you two still so taken with each other.”
“For what reason?”
“Because you’re proof that there’s good in this world.” Blue eyes bore into me. “As I said, battle changes men. I stand before you now, empty and devoid of everything I was before leaving home to fight. But seeing you and Axios, two men I trained and bonded with all those years ago… men I consider brothers… it has sparked something inside me once more. Hope.”
After he veered in the other direction toward the soldiers’ housing, I played his words over in my mind. Many times, Axios had prevented me from becoming an unfeeling beast that killed without mercy. If not for him, I wouldn’t be half the man I was now.
Later in the afternoon, I sat with Haden and Melias in the dining hall. Axios, Theon, and Quill had not yet arrived, so we spoke amongst ourselves as we waited for them. Haden described the combat drill he’d taught his herd earlier—one that showed the boys how to act when outnumbered by the enemy—and I listened, nodding my approval.
Mid-sentence, Haden lifted his gaze to something behind me. I turned to see what held his attention and, upon laying eyes on Axios entering the dining hall, a smile surfaced of its own accord. I couldn’t contain it.
Axios approached and took the seat to my left. I leaned toward him and pressed our lips together in a soft kiss. He hesitantly returned the action before glancing around the table. He still feared what the other men thought of us being so open about our relationship, and he visibly braced himself for the taunts to begin.
But they did not come, just as I knew they wouldn’t.
Only a fool would dare challenge me.
“How was your day?” I asked, shifting as close to him as the seat allowed.
“It went well.” Axios picked up a piece of bread and tore off the corner before eating it. I watched his throat work as he swallowed. “And you? How does Demetrius manage in training? Is he still stubborn and too much like me?”
“I’m afraid heistoo much like you.” I placed my hand on his thigh and gently squeezed. “But, he is learning, and I suspect he will make for a fine warrior someday.”
“Do you believe the same about me?” he asked, averting his eyes to the bread he held.
“No,” I said. When he regarded me, I moved my hand higher up his leg, caressing the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh with my thumb. “I do not believe you’ll be a fine warrior. Iknowyou’ll be one.”
“I do not see the difference.” Axios shook his head.
“Believing is having faith something will come to pass. It is the hope for truth.” I lifted my hand and stroked his jaw. “Yet, Iknowwhat I say is true. Do you recall the words I spoke to you all those years ago when we were gathering reeds for our beds? I said,when the time comes for us to go to war, I know you will be the warrior Sparta asks of you, for a true warrior fights for what’s in his heart and you have the bravest heart I know.”
Axios blushed and bumped his shoulder to mine. He did not respond, but the small curving of his lips told me he appreciated my confidence in him.
“Does no one wish to know howmyday went?” Haden asked, exaggerating a pout. For such a big man, he behaved like such a child at times. “My heart breaks by your unfeeling attitudes toward my well-being.”
“Youhaveno heart, Haden,” Theon said, turning away from Quill where he’d been deep in conversation only moments ago. “No wait… that is brains you do not have. Carry on with what you were saying.”
As Haden lunged across the table to grab Theon, I jumped up and placed myself between them. I grabbed Haden’s shoulders and shoved him back to his seat, grinning as he glared at me. Theon flashed a honeyed smile to Haden, taunting him.
